Category Archives: Dance archive – B21

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‘Kolam‘ (2014) is an 11 minutes long dance piece choreographed by Chennai-based contemporary dancer Padmini Chettur commissioned by French choreographer David Rolland, as part of the contemporary performance project ‘Stranger in Indian Paradise‘ conceptualized and created by David Rolland Choréographiesin association with Basement 21. It shows ten dancers walking on a 400 sq. ft. carpet decorated with a gigantic kolam. The dancers movealong the curved lines halted by grids for the steps. As is the baseline of Rolland’s project (a continuation of an earlier project named ‘Stranger in the Paradise’), the dancers walk with the aid of pre-recorded audio guided scores. The stark contrast of the intense calm, concentration and sense of rhythm of the inner dancer’s self strictly following the individual set of instructions (recorded by Chettur and Rolland) through earphones, the apparently crude and chaotic background score (audible to the audience only) composed by Maarten Visser and the lighting designed by Rolland – ranging from a flat white (bright against the vivid purple of the floor) to the robotic lighting towards the end leads this short artistic statement to a dramatic high.

The piece celebrates the subtle movements of the genderless ‘Kathak-body’ – much neglected in comparison to the more catchy-therefore-famous trademarks of Kathak – the footwork, the twirl and the ‘Rasa‘, in particular ‘Sringara’. The intricate expressions of the ‘kalai’ (wrist), the circular and linear motions of the upper body announcing the often unrecognized deep-set relationship of the muscles with the solar plexus, the lightweight angular head-movements that generate the mood and soul of Kathak are highlighted in the performance.

‘Wall Dancing‘ (2012) is a three hours long dance production choreographed by Chennai-based contemporary dancer Padmini Chettur in the year 2012. It explores the relationship of the dancer’s body, alone and collectively, with the surfaces around her. A wall that a dancer leans on can be a real wall, or the floor, or other bodies in the same space, or even the vacuum. The audience is encouraged to move within the space to explore the three-dimensionality of the piece.

`Counter’ (2012) by Akila – contemporary dancer based in Chennai – keeps a geometric tension alive throughout the performance between the bodies of the co-dancers Akila and Aditi. Akila in this 15 minutes long piece plays with her movements with a weighty, mechanical grace, lines and angles. The piece develops through a continuous role-reversal of the two bodies.

`Restricted view‘ (2012) by Anoushka Kurien – contemporary dancer based in Chennai – explores a choice of four tasks she appoints to her body and its surrounding space – flipping, rotating, sliding and re-sizing. It is a 13 minutes long contemporary dance piece.